SOPRANO

The Russian-Dutch soprano Gulnara Shafigullina comes from Chukotka in northeast Russia. She studied classical piano in St-Petersburg, and had vocal training with Rimma Volkova - former first soprano of the Mariinsky Theater. The young soprano graduated 'cum laude' from the Conservatory of Amsterdam (classical singing) in the class of Sasja Hunnego. She was also trained at the Georg Solti summer Accademia di Bel Canto, Italy.

Recent engagements include Violetta in La Traviata and Donna Anna in Don Giovanni at the Mariinsky Theater St. Petersburg, Desdemona in Verdi's Otello at Ópera de Colombia, Violetta and the title role in Iolanta (Tchaikovsky) at Scottish Opera. She also performed the role of Magda in a concert performance of Puccini's La Rondine at the Mariinsky Theater. From 2016 she is a young soloist at the Mariinsky Theater.

Gulnara Shafigullina covered the role of Yaroslavna in Dmitri Tcherniakov's new production of Borodin's Prince Igor at the Metropolitan Opera New York. She was a guest soloist at the Volkstheater Rostock (Germany) with Donna Anna in Mozart's Don Giovanni, Anna in Rossini's Maometto Secondo. In 2016 she sang with great success the title role in Rossini's Ermione (German première), conducted by David Parry, in Rostock as well. She has appeared with the London Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by M° David Parry at the Newbury Festival, singing a Verdi & Wagner gala.